1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to telephony, and more particularly relates to a call path display telephone system and method.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Currently, telephone users must frequently deal with the annoyance of the so-called xe2x80x9ccall path systemsxe2x80x9d which are used by businesses to reduce the cost of answering calls from their customers. The cost reduction comes at the expense of forcing the customer to wait through what is typically a long and confusing maze of options to be remembered. Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to develop a system and method which would enhance the user""s interaction with the call path system. Such a system and method should make it faster and easier for the user to navigate through the various options.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need in the prior art for a call path system which presents information to the user visually so that the user can rapidly select from among the available options without having to listen to all available options and without having to remember the options.
The present invention, which addresses the needs identified in the prior art, provides a call path display telephone system for operation over a telephone network. The system includes an establishment telephone and a user telephone. The establishment telephone includes an establishment memory which stores quasi-permanent call path menu data providing a plurality of path options for a user of the system. The establishment telephone further includes an establishment communication module which receives input signals over the telephone network and which sends call path menu data signals, indicative of the quasi-permanent call path menu data, in response to the received input signals. The establishment telephone yet further includes an establishment controller which is coupled to the establishment memory and the establishment communication module and which controls operation of the establishment memory and establishment communication module.
The user telephone includes a user memory which stores downloaded call path menu data, a microphone which receives voice input from the user, a speaker which provides audible output to the user, and a keypad which receives alphanumeric input from the user. The user telephone further includes a user communication module which receives the call path menu data signals from the establishment communication module and which provides the call path menu data signals to the user memory in a form for storage as the downloaded call path menu data. Yet further, the user telephone includes a visual input/output module which visually displays the downloaded call path menu data to the user and which receives interactive input from the user in response to the visually displayed call path menu data. Yet further, the user telephone includes a user controller which is coupled to the user memory, the microphone, the speaker, the keypad, the user communication module and the visual input/output module and which controls operation thereof.
The invention includes the system together with one or more establishment telephone(s) and one or more user telephone(s), and the invention also includes the individual establishment telephone and the individual user telephone.
The present invention also provides a method of communicating call path menu data from an establishment to a user. The method includes the step of placing of a telephone call from a user telephone of the user to an establishment telephone of the establishment. Further, the method includes the step of downloading the call path menu data from the establishment telephone into a user memory of the user telephone, in response to the telephone call. Yet further, the method includes the step of visually displaying the call path menu data to the user. Finally, the method includes the step of accepting, by the establishment, from the user, in response to the visual display of the call path menu data, a selection of a given call path item from the call path menu data.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be appreciated by reading the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and the scope of the invention will be set forth in the appended claims.